Blood Moon
by Lilywhisper99
Summary: The birth of a new era in CloudClan. Always looking for an artist to draw the Clan!
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

A loud yowl sounded out across the clearing. CloudClan sat in the center, worry creasing their faces. Another screech tore through the air. With every new sound the Clan grew more and more restless. One light brown warrior she-cat paced in front of the nursery, tail lashing like a snake. Her eyes were afire with anger. Every few steps she stopped to knead at the ground, tearing up clumps of grass. A blazing yellow-red tom stood century at the opening of the den, but it wasn't hard to see the anguish in his eyes.

A silvery she-cat turned to her clanmate and whispered. The pacing she-cat stopped and arched her back. Her yowl rang across the camp.

"What was that, Heronsong? What were you saying?" The accusations burned in her stare. Heronsong crouched back and slipped into the outer reaches of the camp. The brown she-cat snarled and continued her pacing. A black and brown tom rose from the center of the group and walked over to her.

"Quailfeather, you didn't need to be so hard on her. She had a point. Baileybreeze has been in there a long time." Cricketwing softened his gaze and wrapped his tail around her shoulders, "It's been a long day. How about we go back to the warrior's de-"

Quailfeather tensed at his touch. But the familiar weight of his tail soothed her into compliance. Slowly she turned from the nursery entrance. Cricketwing lead her across the clearing. As soon as the two cats disappeared into the den, a small black and white head poked out of the den. Huge, terrified, golden eyes searched the clearing before retreating into the den again. Another wail came from the fallen log, this time quieter and weaker than the last.

Inside the nursery, a pale she-cat lay writhing on a bed of moss. Her cream coat was soaked in sweat. The blue eyes of the medicine cat standing above her blazed with concern and worry.

 _What happened to the perfect pregnancy? The lack of complications? Baileybreeze was so excited to have kits… And Sunblaze would have been the perfect father._

Rainshadow bent over the pale weakening shape beside her. Nudging Baileybreeze's rear end, she sighed. She raised onto her weary paws and slipped over to her harb pile. Really, this action was out of habit more than anything.

 _There is nothing in this StarClan given world to help her._

The bitter thought almost startled her. But her mind was right. There was no herb in the forest that could fix what was happening.

Suddenly, a screech tore through the den with renewed energy. Rainshadow whirled around and lunged at Baileybreeze. A kit! The head of the massive kit pushed through first. Rainshadow jerked into action. Honeypaw, her apprentice, lept to help. Her delicate front paws kneaded the prone she-cat's belly. Rainshadow grabbed onto the kit. As Baileybreeze heaved, and Honeypaw pressed, the kit loosened, slowly sliding out.

Finally! Rainshadow nipped the sac off of the dark kit.

He wasn't breathing.

 _NO!_

Rainshadow refused to give up. She pressed on the kit's chest in steady rhythm. Suddenly, a coughing fit gripped the kit. She breathed a sigh of relief. Rainshadow turned back to Baileybreeze, leaving the little tom to Honeypaw.

Her paws froze. The bundle of cream and white fur wasn't moving. The nursery was silent but for the mewls of the newborn kit. Baileybreeze wasn't screaming anymore… she wasn't making any noise. Her chest lay still. The only thing moving on her was her belly, the squirms of her unborn kits weakening. Rainshadow let her head fall. She lost her.

She tried to shoulder her way out of the nursery, but Honeypaw stopped her.

"Where are you going? There are still kits in there!"

Rainshadow glared at her apprentice, her stomach a pit of anger and sadness. "There is nothing we can do. What do you want me to do? Without Baileybreeze pushing, the kits will not come out. Focus your energy on the tom we managed to save. He has a long fight ahead of him without his mother."

"NO! We can't just leave them!" Honeypaw cried, "There has to be something we can do! If you and me push on her belly maybe-"

" _Stop!_ I don't want to hear it! The world is full of "what ifs" and "maybes"! We can't live by each one! You have to learn when to quit. That's just a part of life, medicine cat or not."

Rainshadow shouldered her way out of the nursery. As soon as she entered the hollow, she was swarmed with the rest of the Clan. Each cat had a different question regarding Baileybreeze and her kits. Rainshadow couldn't take it. She bowled over the cats in her way and raced out of the clearing.

The rest of the cats stood, speechless. What could have gotten in to their medicine cat?

Honeypaw stood over Baileybreeze's lifeless body. Her paws thumped rythmicly on her body. She _had_ to try. They may have lost the well-loved queen, but there was no way she was going to let her kits die too. Beneath her paws she could feel the movements of the kits getting weaker. Honeypaw gritted her teeth. She didn't want to do this, but…

She stopped thumping and stuck her head out of the nursery.

"Hazlefeather! Come quick!"

She retreated back into the nursery and continued her compressions. Hazlefeather squeezed her body into the nursery, her kits safely with the other Clan members.

"Hazlefeather. I wish I could tell you this in a different circumstance, not so rushed, but… Baileybreeze is dead." Hazlefeather let out a small sob, but Honeypaw cut her off. "I know. But I really need you to do something for me. Before she died, Baileybreeze had a kit. I need someone to nurse him and keep him out of the way while I do this. You had your kits the most recently; I'm hoping you have enough milk."

Hazlefeather nodded and layed down and nudged the kit towards her. Satisfied, Honeypaw turned back to Baileybreeze. She could no longer see any movement from the kits. Her legs felt like they were made of grass and river stones all at the same time. She wobbled but struggled to take a step forward. She knew what she had to do, but that didn't make it any easier. Finally, her legs listened to her brain. She walked over to the stone-like body of the once-beautiful queen and flipped her onto her back. Hazlefeather looked up with a puzzled look, but when she saw Honeypaw's claws slide out, it changed to a look of horror. Her squeak of protest was drowned out by the sound of ripping fur. Honeypaw cut open Baileybreeze's belly. After a moment, she scooped out two tiny kits. One of them wasn't moving.

"Hazlefeather, please come over here. One of the kits isn't moving. I need you to get the other and clean him up."

Hazlefeather looked on blankly for a moment, horror still shadowing her face. After a second, though, her body moved as if of its own accord. She padded over and started licking the kit. Breathing a sigh of relief, Honeypaw began to groom the motionless kit roughly. When that didn't work after a few moments, she started pressing on her tiny chest. A few times she spluttered a cough, but eventually lay still. Honeypaw felt a moan bubble in the back of her throat. After everything, Baileybreeze and her daughter still died. Her legs buckled underneath her, and she fell into the moss. Hazlefeather leapt to her side, having both kits contently napping in a small nest on the other side of the nursery.

"Honeypaw- what's wrong? Oh no, oh poor dear. This wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself."

Honeypaw looked up at her with a dead look in her eyes. "I should have done more. I should have saved her… Now we have to bury two Clanmates."

Hazlefeather looked at her in sympathy, but was wise enough to know not to say a word. Only time could heal some wounds.

Outside the camp, Rainshadow paced in a small clearing. Her claws dug into the wet earth. The scents around her infuriated her. It was newleaf! A time for life and birth! This never should have happened, not now, not in her Clan. The rustles of prey brought her to her senses. She fell into a hunting crouch and watched the edges of the clearing. Even within their Clan, death happened every day. No one really noticed, it was just the way of life. But when you really thought, life was delicate. It was given and taken away in an instant.

With that thought, she pounced, landing on a plump vole. The pounce was perfectly executed, and the landing ended its life. Rainshadow looked down on the prey and noticed- it's plumpness wasn't just because it was well-fed. With a grim nod, Rainshadow supposed it was fitting. She picked up her quarry and began the trek back to camp.

As the trees passed by her in a blur, Rainshadow thought about her Clan. How would she tell them? There's no gentle way to tell a whole Clan that their favorite queen had died in kitting…

Soon enough, Rainshadow was back at camp. This time, she was more gentle in nudging the brambles out of her way. Inside, the Clan was still sitting around the nursery. Rainshadow sighed. In the back of her mind, she had hoped that Honeypaw had told the Clan the news. Instead, she would have to do it herself. No one noticed when she came in, so she slipped over to the prey pile and dropped the vole. She knew that when she returned to the nursery, the Clan would ask questions. She braced herself, then walked over to the den.

"Rainshadow, is Baileybreeze okay?"  
"How many kits are there?"  
"Did Baileybreeze name them already?"  
"Are the kits okay? Are they alive?"

And finally, one cat asked the question that none other dared.

"Did Baileybreeze survive?"

It was Quailfeather, Baileybreeze's sister.

Rainshadow looked at her paws before replying.

"No. I'm so sorry Quailfeather. I did everything I could, bu-"

"LIAR!" Quailfeather leapt at her, claws out and teeth bared, "If you tried everything you could, my sister would be _alive!_ "

Rainshadow collapsed to the ground, any trace of anger from earlier slipping from her body like a fish in the river. All she could feel was immense, crushing sadness and grief. Cricketwing burst into the medicine clearing and saw Quailfeather standing over Rainshadow. He quickly grabbed the brown she-cat by the scruff like a kit.

"I am so sorry Rainshadow, I thought she was asleep-"

He looked up and saw the grief in the medicine cat's eyes.

"Oh no… Baileybreeze..."

Sunblaze was standing in the shadows the entire time. His body was slack and his gaze was clouded. Suddenly, it sunk in. His agonized yowl drowned out any response Rainshadow had. Sunblaze's legs buckled beneath him, and he crashed to the ground in a heap of red and yellow fur. It was disheartening, seeing the most powerful warrior in the Clan laying on the ground, mewling like a kit. His sobs wracked his muscled body. The rest of the Clan dispersed, leaving him in front of the nursery. It felt like too personal of a moment to be looking in on.

Rainshadow stood up and padded gently over to him.

"Sunblaze. I am so sorry… I wish I could have done more. But she did have one kit who survived-"

Honeypaw stuck her head out of the nursery entrance.

"Rainshadow, why don't you take Sunblaze for a walk? I need to, um, tidy up in the nursery."

Rainshadow, thinking she understood, nodded and nudged Sunblaze with her muzzle. The two walked out of camp, Rainshadow's tail over his back as support.

As soon as they left, Honeypaw called for the Clan deputy. Salmonfur padded into the nursery and gasped in disbelief. Inside, there was hardly a scrap of clean moss. From paws to tail, both Honeypaw and Hazlefeather were covered in blood. Honeypaw explained the situation and asked Salmonfur to gather as many warriors and apprentices as she could. Nodding, the pinkish deputy left the den.

The warriors came first. They cleaned Baileybreeze's body up enough that she could be brought into the camp for mourning. With the proper positioning, you couldn't see the hole where her kits were pulled out. Soon, all of the apprentices came in to remove all of the bloody moss from the nursery. By the time they were finished, the floor was completely bare. As they collected more from the forest, the queens returned to the den. Collectively, they were able to clean up Honeypaw, Hazlefeather, and the two tom kits. The apprentices returned with as much soft moss as they could carry and re-bedded the nursery. By the time Rainshadow and Sunblaze returned, the nursery was back to the way it was, but this time without Baileybreeze.

Honeypaw ran out to greet Sunblaze.

"Sunblaze, come with me. Meet your new sons…"

"Sons? I thought only one survived…" Sunblaze had no emotion in his voice, like all feeling had been stripped from his body. Rainshadow shot her a look that asked the same question. Honeypaw just slipped her tail over his shoulders and led him into the nursery. Inside, Greenpoppy lay on her side, her two kits suckling. Spiderkit, a black and gray tom, was disappearing into his mother's thick fur. Hawkkit's black fur blended into his brother's. Next to her, Lemoncream sat with her distended belly bulging on either side of her. She was going to have large kits. And lastly, Quailfeather lay with six kits feeding at her side. Her four were slightly larger than Sunblaze's sons. Sapkit and Dawnkit wrestled with their brothers Turtlekit and Marshkit for their fair share of milk.

Sunblaze took a hesitant step toward the miniature Clan of kits. Quailfeather looked up and beckoned him with her tail, smiling softly.

"Come Sunblaze. Meet your kits."

Sunblaze stepped lightly over and crouched beside the nest. Some emotion returned to his eyes. He looked on in awe.

"Look at them… they're perfect."

Honeypaw looked at him. "What will you name them?"

Sunblaze looked down at his sons, squirming in the sea of kits. The red in their pelts blazed out against the coats of their adopted littermates. Sunblaze bent to sniff the redder one, the kit that would one day be called "The Miracle Kit". The tiny kit flashed out thorn-sharp claws at his father, drawing a bead of blood. Sunblaze laughed.

"Look at this little one! So much life in him already! And what a color- why, he's probably redder than me. Like a little crab… My little Crabkit."

He smiled. As if in agreement, the kit stopped suckling and sniffed his father's pelt before snuggling in. Sunblaze stiffened at first, but relaxed after a moment, stooping to nuzzle the furball. The larger of the two kits continued to suckle fiercely.

"This kit is a fighter. He's going to be one of the biggest cats in the Clan one day. I think Snakekit fits him."

Honeypaw purred. They were lovely names. A tap on her shoulder made her jump. Whirling around, she saw the questioning stare of Rainshadow behind her. Her stomach dropped as she followed her mentor out of the nursery.

"Honeypaw, only one kit was born before Baileybreeze died. Where did this other tom come from?"

Honeypaw looked at her paws for a moment, her mind struggling to find the words to say what she needed to. Eventually, the words just tumbled out. Rainshadow sat patiently through the whole story and Honeypaw recounted the events of that night. Finally, breathless and with a sob hitching in her throat, Honeypaw finished. Rainshadow looked at her.

"I have to say. I'm proud of you. You did what no other cat would have done, not even me. Although, it did make it harder to mourn her. However, one more kit survived. You did your job well Honeypaw. I'm proud to call you my apprentice."

With that, Rainshadow stood up and led her apprentice back to the medicine cat den, where the two she-cats had the most rewarding sleep they'd had in a long time.


	2. CloudClan

Smokestar-Leader-Dark gray she-cat, smokey blue eyes

Salmonfur-Deputy-Pinkish-red she-cat with silver flecks, green eyes

Rainshadow-Medicine cat-Gray-blue long furred she cat, blue eyes

Honeypaw-Medicine cat apprentice-Black and white long furred she-cat, bright gold eyes

Rockyfoot-Warrior-Tan and brown tom, brown eyes

Horseriver-Warrior-Gray-blue furred tom, brown eyes

Quickfoot-Warrior-Cream tom with black spots, green eyes

Goldenclaw-Warrior-Black and white long furred tuxedo tom, golden eyes

Blackthorn-Warrior-White tom with black thorn-like stripes, amber eyes

Sunblaze-Warrior-Red-yellow long furred tom, yellow eyes with red flecks

Cricketwing-Warrior-Black and brown tom, green eyes

Snowbelly-Warrior-White and cream tom, blue eyes

Ripplestream-Warrior-Gray tom, blue eyes

Heronsong-Warrior-Silver and tan she-cat, blue eyes

Sagefern-Warrior-Brown she-cat, green eyes

Dawnflurry-Warrior-Brown long furred she-cat with white blotches and gray stripes, blue-green eyes

Quailfeather-Warrior-Light brown she-cat, green eyes

Featherstorm-Warrior-Brown long furred she-cat with lighter brown point,blue eyes

Cinderstorm-Warrior-Dark gray she-cat, blue eyes

Earthheart-Warrior-Brown, black, and sand colored she-cat, green eyes

Birdecho-Warrior-Brown she-cat, silvery blue eyes

Windsong-Warrior-Black she cat, blue eyes

Feathersong-Warrior-Silver she-cat, blue eyes

Hazlefeather-Queen-Dark brown long furred she-cat with hints of lighter brown, green-brown eyes

Lemoncream-Queen-Cream she-cat with yellow spots, brown eyes

Greenpoppy-Queen-Gray long furred she-cat with red patches, one flower-shaped patch over left eye, green eyes

Cactusfur-Elder-Black, spikey furred she-cat, green eyes

Tealswan-Elder-Graceful white she-cat with thing gray striped, dark blue-green eyes

Weedflame-Elder-Scarred orange tabby tom, green eyes

Moonflurry-Elder-White she-cat with silver streaks, green eyes

Ravenwing-Elder-Very dark brown she-cat, brown eyes

Daisypool-Elder-Tortoiseshell long furred she-cat, blue eyes

Hiddenpaw-Apprentice-Black tom with long fur, dark brown (almost black) eyes

Stonepaw-Apprentice-Slate-gray she-cat, dark gray eyes

Sparkpaw-Apprentice-Gray she-cat with gold striped, very light blue eyes

Cometpaw-Apprentice-Gray and white tabby, brown eyes

Spiderkit-Kit-Long-legged tom with black and gray fur, brown eyes

Hawkkit-Kit-Black long furred tom, bright blue eyes

Snakekit-Kit-Gray-brown tom, brown eyes

Sapkit-Kit-Yellow-cream she-cat, green eyes

Dawnkit-Kit-Gray long furred she-cat with black patches, green eyes

Crabkit-Kit-Solid red-orange tom, green eyes

Turtlekit-Kit-Long-legged tom with brown fur, green eyes

Marshkit-Kit-White and yellow tabby long furred tom, blue eyes

Burnkit-Kit-Brown-gray tom with black tabby stripes, brown eyes

Pinekit-Kit-Brown-orange she-cat with long fur, dark green eyes

Shellkit-Kit-Pale sand-colored she-cat, blue eyes

Hey guys! So, you could probably tell this is my first fanfiction. The writing is a little choppy, and I forgot to post the Clan first, but hey! You've got to start somewhere, right?

Criticism is always welcome! I'm here to better myself.

I will try to post at least once a week, but I can't guarantee anything. I'll try though!


	3. Chapter 1

A small red kit bounced across the clearing.

"Bet you can't catch me Shellkit!"

The pale she-kit ran after him, tripping over her own paws. Her sandy pelt was thoroughly coated in dust by the time she picked herself up. It was her first day out of the nursery. Her best friend Crabkit had gone out two days ago with his littermates. Even though the nursery was crowded, at least this many kits meant that she always had someone to play with. As she ran after Crabkit, his blood brother Snakekit was wrestling with their adopted brothers. Turtlekit and Marshkit were the same size as Snakekit, as they were only a day older, but with two of them it seemed Snakekit stood little chance.

Behind the nursery, she could hear Crabkit's sisters Sapkit and Dawnkit playing mossball with Greenpoppy's sons, Spiderkit and Hawkkit. The toms were a whole moon older, so they were teaching the younger two cool techniques. Shellkit pounded across the clearing, gaining on Crabkit, but she almost ran into her own brother and sister, Burnkit and Pinekit. Burnkit pounced on her with a growl and held her down.

"Not so fast rogue! We don't want you on _CloudClan_ territory!"

Noticing Shellkit's absence, Crabkit turned around.

"Oh no! A big, _scary_ CloudClan warrior! Don't worry, I'll save you!"

Crabkit barreled at the three younger kits, his broad shoulders squared. Pinekit lt out a squeak of laughter and jumped out of the way, but Burnkit held his ground. Crabkit ran straight into him, sending him flying into the air.

A senior warrior saw and raced over. Her teeth snagged Burnkit's scruff right as he started falling to the ground. After she gently lowered him to the ground, he ran off laughing with his sisters in tow.

"Crabkit! That was way too rough! You have to remember, these kits are younger than you. He could have been hurt!"

Crabkit lowered his head and murmured, "Yes Dawnflurry," before racing off after the three littermates. Dawnflurry sighed. With eleven kits in camp, there was never a dull moment… But there was never a quiet one either. The warrior chuckled to herself and continued on to the entrance of the camp. It was time for midday patrol.

Quailfeather stuck her head outside the nursery.

"My kits! It's time for lunch!"

Lemoncream padded up beside her denmate.

"Mine too! Come in now, it's time to come in…"

All the kits looked at each other and groaned. From behind the nursery, two more grunts were heard. From all around the camp, kits appeared from corners. Even after a half of a moon, it still surprised the whole camp just how many kits there were. The Clan was growing quickly.

The nine kits all filed into the nursery. Crabkit was last, following Shellkit. He aimed one last swipe at her tail before running to his nest. Quailfeather trotted over to him and his siblings, holding something small and brown in her mouth. When she got to the edge of the nest, she dropped it and pawed it over to the six curious kits.

Marshkit curled his lip and poked the furball with one claw.

"What _is_ this?" He squeaked.

Quailfeather smiled warmly down at the litter.

"This is called a 'vole'. You eat it."

"No, we eat milk! Momma, I'm hungry." Dawnkit mewled.

Quailfeather quieted her protests and nudged the vole to her once more.

"I have decided that you are old enough to eat your own prey now. You kits are already a moon old. You cannot drink milk forever, can you?" Quailfeather smiled at their reluctant nods, "Besides- don't you want to be a warrior one day? Warriors eat all of their prey! Come on now, just take a bite. There are so many of you, I'm sure it will be all gone if you all take one bite."

Snakekit was the first to lean forward with a tentative sniff. Suddenly, the rump of the vole twitched. Snakekit jumped about four tail-lengths in the air, backflipping halfway down. Sapkit collapsed on the ground behind the vole, rolling with laughter. The rest of the litter giggled at Snakekit, who had his pelt on end in the corner of the den.

"Sapkit! That wasn't funny!" He hissed, tail lashing.

Sapkit smirked, "Of course it was. Now come on. Are you too scared of a dead vole?"

Snakekit gave a growl and pounced on her, claws sheathed. As the two scuffled, Crabkit crept up to the vole, taking a nice huge bite. The flavor instantly burst in his mouth. Sweet, savory, and tangy. All flavors milk would NEVER have. His eyes lit up and took another bite. Dawnkit came up behind him, smelling the delicious aroma of the prey. Her reaction to her initial bite was much the same as her adopted brother's. Soon, all of the kits had devoured the prey. Their bellies full, they lay down in a heap of warm fur.

Sunblaze poked his head into the nursery.

"Quailfeather? Are the kits up? I feel so bad I had to miss their first day out of the nursery, but you know how it is with dawn patrols and hunting…"

"Its okay Sunblaze. However, the kits are sleeping right now. How about I send Snakekit and Crabkit over to the warriors' den when they wake up?"

Sunblaze nodded, "That works. Thank you, Quailfeather."

Once Sunblaze left, Quailfeather sighed. He tried to be an involved father, he truly did, but it wasn't necessarily easy, being next in line for deputy. They whole Clan knew it. Sunblaze was large and muscular, and one of the most loyal cats in the Clan. Every cat knew he would give up almost anything for his Clan, but that didn't make it easy to be a father. He was on every dawn patrol, and was the most performing hunter. You could bet that half of the prey in the pile was his. With so much to do, and so much to prove, he hardly had time to visit his kits, yet somehow he managed to see them at least once a day. He knew how long his sons napped, so he was probably out hunting again, and would reappear within minutes of his kits' waking.

Quailfeather decided to stretch her legs. There were two other queens in the nursery if the kits were to wake up, but she figured she had time for a little stroll. The sunlight hurt her eyes as she left the comfort of the warm den. After so long of staying in the same dark cave, she wasn't prepared for the brightness of the outdoors. All around the camp cats were swarming; preparing patrols, hunting, eating, training. The business of it all was refreshing. Quailfeather hadn't seen some of these cats since her kits were born. Spotting a dark tortoiseshell warrior across the clearing, Quailfeather let out an excited mew. Trotting over, she saw that the she-cat wasn't alone. Across from her was another female, brown with silvery eyes. Quailfeather quickened her pace.

"Earthheart! Birdecho!"

The two she-cats looked up from the rabbit they were sharing. Earthheart's eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet. Birdecho's silvery eyes flashed with happiness, but her reaction was more subdued. Earthheart was circling Quailfeather, looking her up and down and waving her spotted tail.

"Quailfeather! My darling, you look so _good_! How has the nursery been treating you? Look at that, you are just _radiant_!"

Quailfeather stifled a purr. She had misses the exuberance of her old denmate. As apprentices, they sure had made trouble. She thought about all of the times they had terrorized the camp in their youth, putting spiders in the other apprentices' nests, ambushing their mentors in the woods…

She hoped her kits would be just like her. Even Crabkit and Snakekit. She knew those two would be mischievous. Even though she didn't kit them, they were still her kits. They took after her in so many ways, an outsider wouldn't be able to tell they had a different mother. Quailfeather realized that she had let her mind drift off, and of course, Earthheart was still talking.

"... and it was HUGE! You should have seen it! It took five warriors to chase away! But don't worry, I don't think it will be back for awhile."

Quailfeather looked sheepishly up. "Huh?"

Earthheart snorted, "The _dog_ , silly! I was just telling you about him. He was huge and fox-colored. Had he been a tom, he probably would have been just my type," she added with a wink.

Quailfeather laughed. Earthheart could be somewhat of a flirt. The fact that no tom had ever returned any of her feelings never seemed to bother her. She was a free spirit, so she didn't care if a tom fancied her. She wished she had the heart and spirit of the brown she-cat. As Earthheart talked on, Birdecho flicked her tail towards the rabbit, inviting her to eat with them. Quailfeather blinked gratefully and sat down, tucking in to the prey. She had missed this. When the rabbit was eaten, she excused herself from the group. Earthheart started to protest, but Quailfeather lifted her tail, promising to return tomorrow. With that, she returned to the den, where the kits were just waking up as she pushed herself through the soft branches of the nursery. She settled into her personal nest and prepared to rest her eyes for a moment when a raspy sound made her jump.

In the corner of the den, shrouded by shadows, a cat sat staring at the litter of kits. Gripped by fear, Quailfeather stepped out of her nest and stood over her litter protectively. The cat chuckled and stood. Quailfeather felt herself cringing against her will, bringing another growly laugh from the intruder. Without seeing him, Quailfeather knew exactly who he was. He flicked his tail at her in mock playfulness as he left the den, a clump of black fur snagging on a branch on his way out. As his tail disappeared from view, the first of the kits began to wake up. Of course, it was Crabkit. He blinked his large green eyes up at her with a pure innocence only kits possesed. It hurt Quailfeather's heart. She bent her head down and licked his head passionately.

Crabkit looked up at his adopted mother with questioning eyes.

"What was that for, momma?"

She looked down at him with a fierceness that Crabkit had never seen before. It startled him a little to see his mother like that. She crouched down so that her face was right in front of his.

"I love you more than anything. Remember that, ok? Never ever forget. Your mother loves all of her kits, no matter what. Tell me you will remember."

Crabkit looked into her eyes boldly, with a bravery so advanced for such a little kit.

"I will always remember, mother."

WIth that, Crabkit pushed onto his hind legs and buried his head in his mother's neck fur. The two stayed like that for a few heartbeats, and then the other kits began to wake up. Crabkit bounced over to where Shellkit was sleeping and proded her. Once awake, the two scrambled out of the den.

? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ? ﾟﾌﾙ

Outside, Crabkit rolled around on the dusty ground. Snakekit pounced on him, rubbing his pelt into the dust. Crabkit grunted and shoved his brother off of him. Snakekit may have been the big one when they were born, but _he_ would be the strongest. Ducking underneath his brother, he swiped the larger kit's back legs out from underneath him. Snakekit hissed as he tumbled to the ground.

"Where did you learn a move like _that_?" He asked, his voice a mixture of awe and annoyance.

Crabkit shrugged. He had watched the apprentices practicing from his den. He grinned and lashed his tail excitedly.

"Hey, want to learn something else?"

Snakekit huffed, but agreed. By now, Shellkit and Dawnkit had gathered near the young toms. They looked on excitedly as Crabkit crouched down.

"Ok Snakekit, try to attack me."

Snakekit wore a look of determination as his muscles bunched up. He lunged forward, and his forepaws landed a mouse-length away from his brother. As soon as he lifted a forepaw to swipe at Crabkit, the smaller tom swept his planted forepaw out from underneath him. Snakekit tumbled to the ground, but sprang back up in anger. His tail lashed behind him. Now, his moved had more power, but less precision. _That's what happens when you're mad_ , he thought with a smirk. Snakekit bunched up to pounce again, and Crabkit tensed. Snakekit landed on his brother's shoulders, attempting to crush him. But Crabkit used the larger kit's weight against him, and as soon as he landed, he thrusted upward with his shoulders, throwing Snakekit clean away from the other kits. Crabkit stood up calmly as his brother hissed and stalked away.

"That was good work," a deep voice sounded from behind Crabkit, making him jump. When he whirled around, his father was sitting with his tail around his paws, his golden coat blazing in the evening sunlight. Crabkit puffed his chest out and ran up to his father.

"Sunblaze, did you see? I fought off an enemy warrior! All by myself! I'm a good fighter, right? So can I _please_ be an apprentice already?"

Sunblaze chuckled warmly at his son, a fiery version of himself. A cold loneliness washed over him as he gazed down at the kit before him. He remembered Baileybreeze being that fierce as an apprentice. Her only goal was to become the greatest warrior the Clan had ever seen. And then, she was in the nursery. Almost up until the day she kitted, she continued to hunt. Sunblaze jerked his head up. There was nothing he could do for her now, except raise her sons the best way he could.

"No, my son. You are only a few moons old. You must wait. Your time will come, I promise. But for now, we can practice. How about I go get something for you?"  
Crabkit bounced up and down in excitement.

"A present? Yay! You always bring the best presents father!"

Sunblaze smiled and nuzzled his kit before leaving the camp. Crabkit turned to Shellkit.

"Did you see that? I'm going to be a great warrior one day, the best the Clan has ever seen! I will be the CloudClan leader, and I'm going to rule the forest!"

Shellkit purred her encouragement. Crabkit smiled at her.

"And of course, you will be my deputy! We will rule the forest together, and CloudClan will be strong and powerful!"

Shellkit pounced on her friend, pinning him to the ground.

"Who says _I_ won't be leader? You can be _my_ deputy!"

Crabkit planned a rebuke, but just then his father returned through the camp barrier. Crabkit wiggled out from underneath Shellkit and bounded over to his father. Sunblaze had a stick in his jaws. From it dangled a tendril of bracken, with a scrap of rabbit fur at the end. Crabkit looked puzzledly at his father. Sunblaze whipped his head back and forth, making the fur trail in a long arc.

"Chase it!" he muttered from behind the stick. Crabkit dropped into a hunter's crouch and pounced at the fur. Sunblaze whipped his head again and made the furry bundle jerk away. Crabkit was clumsy at first, but caught on to the game quickly. Soon, he was catching the fur almost every time. One last time, Sunblaze whipped the stick around. He dropped it to the ground. Some other warriors were looking at the pair. Some had expressions of amusement, but some gazes were hardened. Crabkit turned to his father.

"Why are they looking at you like that? What's wrong father?"

Sunblaze looked down at his son, sadness swimming in his eyes.

"I'll tell you when you are older."

That's it! Sorry it took so long. I was sick and then had to take some mental health days. Thank you for sticking with it!


	4. READER UPDATE::: IMPORTANT

Hey readers! As you may have noticed, I've been insanely inactive on this story, focusing on school and another story that I've had building up for quite a few years now. My current plan is to simply cease the Blood Moon project for the foreseeable future. However, if you guys really want more chapters, please! Tell me in the reviews, comments, or my DMs! I don't want to abandon a project that people actually enjoy, so if I get enough people telling me to continue, I will. If not, thank you for reading up until this point, and happy travels! I know there are plenty of talented writers on here who would love to spin you a similar story!


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